UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Thursday warned of a dangerous escalation of the Ukraine crisis, while Russia pointed the finger at Kiev's "reckless policy."

Illegal armed groups in Ukraine "reportedly intensified their activities over the last two days," marking a dangerous escalation of the conflict, UN Undersecretary-General and chief political officer Jeffrey Feltman told a Security Council meeting.

It was the 24th time in six months for representatives of the 15 council members to sit down around the horseshoe-shaped table for a formal meeting on the protracted Ukraine crisis.

The activities, if confirmed, would constitute a direct contravention of international law and of the UN Charter, Feltman said.

However, he acknowledged that the UN has no independent means to verify the information.

Russia rejected those reports and accused Kiev of torpedoing all political agreements on resolving the crisis in Ukraine.

"The current escalation in the southeast of Ukraine is a direct consequence of the reckless policy of Kiev, which is conducting war against its own people," said Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin.

"We think the Ukrainian armed forces have trampled on all standards of humanitarian law, and they have been shelling civilian quarters. They're using artillery, munitions with phosphorous and other weapons," he said.

He also recalled Tuesday's meeting in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and called on Kiev authorities not to lose the positive opportunities of the Minsk meeting.

There are 4 million people living in the conflict area, Churkin said, listing the hardship of life under bombardment. More than 2,000 people were killed and some 814,000 Ukrainian refugees were cared for in Russia, Churkin said.

The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, said each one of the 23 previous council sessions "has sent a straight-forward, unified message: Russia, stop this conflict."

Warning that international order and its regulations and laws are under threat, she said Russia must be judged by its actions and not by its words.

Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, called on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, so as not to further escalate the situation.

"China supports all efforts that will contribute to easing the situation, resolving the crisis and promoting a political settlement," he said, adding that the crisis could only be resolved through political means.

Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant of Britain, this month's president of the Security Council, called on Russia to immediately withdraw its military forces from Ukraine, and instead help secure a political solution to this crisis.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Thursday warned of a dangerous escalation of the Ukraine crisis, while Russia pointed the finger at Kiev's "reckless policy."

Illegal armed groups in Ukraine "reportedly intensified their activities over the last two days," marking a dangerous escalation of the conflict, UN Undersecretary-General and chief political officer Jeffrey Feltman told a Security Council meeting. Full story

The president told reporters at the White House that he spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the phone about the situation in Ukraine, as Kiev and the West were accusing Moscow of launching a new incursion into the country's east. Full story